Automatic safety air-brake appliance.



W. P. HUNTLEY & R. M. BERKELEY.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY AIR BRAKE APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 22.1914.

1,143,198. Patented June 15, 1915.

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W. P. HUNTLEY & R. M. BERKELEY.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY AIR BRAKE APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22.1914.

151435198. Patented June 15, 1915.

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'W'ESLEY PAMPLIN HUNTLEY, F ASHLAND, KENTUCKY, AND ROBERTJVI. BERKELEY,

' OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

7 AUTOMATIC SAFETY AIR-BRAKE APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 15, 1915 Application filed October 22, 1914. Serial No. 868,060.

i ,LEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ashland, in the county of Boyd, State of Kentucky, and ROBERT M. BERKnLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain hook member.

The car-to which this invention is shown new and useful Improvements in 'Automatic Safety Air-Brake Appliances; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same,

This invention relates to a safety airbrake appliance for steam .traction or other rail- .ways. a

The object of the invention 1s to provlde a device of this character which willautomatically and instantly apply the ordinary air brakes with which most cars are equipped to the whole train the instant a single truck drops downfor any cause such asis produced when a truck leaves the rails.

Another object is to provide a device of this character having an automatic valve so constructed and connected that the air of the train line is reliably released on they droppingof a truck.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists ofcertain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts. as will be fully described and claimed. 1 I

In the accompanying drawings:Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a portion of a car equipped with this invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a central vertical longitudinal section on an enlarged scale showing the parts in normal position; Fig. dis-an end elevationof the device; Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on the line .5 5of Fig. 3; Fig. 6' is a fragmentary 7 detail elevation showing'a modifiedform of applied, is divested of all parts which would tend to confuse and render obscure the application of the invention, such parts only are shown which are essential to properly illustrate the improvement; The air and traction brake system and. connections may be of theordinary well known type and need no description.

In the embodiment illustrated, a car body C is shown having a train'line pipe 1 located and secured beneath it. A valve casing 2 is mounted on the bottom of the car body G and communicates with the air pipe 1, one of said casings being used on each car truck and preferably applied so as to set in line with the center line of the truck and car as shown, but it is obvious that it may be placed on'the opposite sides thereof if desired. To attach this device to a car the train line 1 is tapped at a suitable place and connections made thereto and to the valve casing 2 to convey the train line air to the casing for a purpose to be described. This valve casing 2 may be constructed of any suitable material, preferably metal, and has an opening 8 provided with a valve seat 4 of fiber, rubber, or other suitable material. Avalve 5 is mounted in said casing to normally close the opening 3 and is shown provided with upwardly extending wings 6 for guiding the valve to its seat, said wings projecting through the opening 3'and being recessed at the center as shown at 7 for the reception of an opening-device, tobe described. A hollow stem 8 depends from the valve 5 and is slidably engaged with a pin or stud 9 which projects-upwardly fromthe center of a cap 10, here shown mounted in the opposed wall of the casing 52. A coiled spring 11 surrounds this hollow stem 8, bearing at one end against uprights 13 and 13 being here shown provided at their upper ends with laterally extending arms 14 projecting in opposite directions and which'are apertured to receive fastening bolts for securing the casing to the car body. A substantially L-shaped or right angular lever is fulcrumed at one end of one arm between these uprights, the arm which is fulcrumed being slotted longitudinally at its end as shown at 16 to receive a stud 17 This slot 16 permits the free movement of the lever on its fulcrum;

The arm 18 of the lever 15 which is fulcrumed between the uprights is provided intermediately of its ends with a transversely extending recess 19 arrangedin. a plane at right angles to the slot 16 and in which projectsa link 20, said link being pivotally mounted. in said recess and having its free end engaged with the recessed portion of the valve wings 6, as is shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 5. The free end of this link 20 through an apertured lateral extension or bracket 22 mounted on one wall of the easing 2and when the valve is in closed position, the free end of this hook will be engaged with the wall of the opening in the bracket 22 and'thus held in closed position for a purpose to be described. A flexible element 23 connects this hook' 21 with a bracket 24: secured to the truck bolster or transom 25, said bracket being'he're shown T-shaped in construction with the stem thereof projecting laterally and apertured to receive the valve connecting element 23 whichis hereshown' in the form of a'chain but it. is obvious that it may be a cable or other suitablefiexible device.

In Fig. 6, is shown a slightly .different form of connecting means for the element 23, the arm 18 of the lever 15 being here shown provided with a rigid integral hook 21' closed by a spring metal strip 26 securedat one end to the arm 18 with its free, terminal extending over the terminal.

of the hook 21 and thereby retaining the chain 23 in engagement with said hook 21 under normal conditions. A gravity pawl 27 is mounted on the upright 13 and is 7 adapted to swing over the top of'the lever 15 for locking the valve 5 in open position after it has been opened in a manner to be described.

1 In the use of this invention, parts being in the position shown in Fig. 3, with'the valve 5 closed and the flexible element 23 connecting the bracket 24 on the truck bolster with the hook 21 of the lever 15, should the truck break down or the wheels thereof become derailed, a strain will be exerted on the flexible element 23 on the dropping of said truck, thereby exerting a downward pull on the hook 21 which causes the link 20 to bear on the valve 5 and open said valve against the tension of the spring 11, thus permitting the train pipe air in the casing 2 to rush out into the atmosphere and automatically set the brakes on the car or train. Vhen the free end of the hook 21 passes below the lower edge of the opening in the bracket 22, said hook will drop downwardly,

thereby releasing the chain 23 to prevent strain being exerted on the valve and thus avoiding breakage of any of the parts or connections. When the lever 15 has moved down a-predetermined distance, the upper arm of the gravity pawl 27 will swing over the top of said lever and lock it in'lowered position, thus holding the valve open until all of the air in the train pipe is exhausted and thereby stopping the train or car with which the device is connected. .A stop 28 is shown cast integral with standard 13in position to engagethe weighted arm of the pawl 27 when swung to locking position and thereby limit the swinging movement of the pawl. and the car placed in operative position, the

valve will be'again closed by hand by.dis-' After" the truck has been repaired.

engaging the gravity pawl 27 from the lever Q 15, permitting the spring '11 to force the valve into closed position. The hook 21 will then be engaged with the element 23 and inserted in the bracket 22 and the device will. be ready for further service.

From the above, it will be obvious that the i device herein described, will automatically 7 7 set the brakes on the engine or' car to which it is applied in case of a broken truck or derailment of the wheels on the truck and thus avert accident and damage.

Wecla1m as our inventlon: V H r 1. The comblnation with a tra n line saidpipe, a discharge opening in said' casing, a spring-pressed valve normally clos ing said opening, a lever I fulcrumed at one end adjacent said opening in the casing, an element carried by said lever and normally engagingsaid valve, a hook at the free end of said lever, means for closing said hook, a

lever actuating element detachably engaged with said hook and operable to force said pipe, of a safety air brake appliance com-,1 prising a valve casing communicating with lever toward said valve to open the valve, a

pawl for locking said lever in its valve opening position and a stop for limiting the- 2. The combination with a train line pipe,

locking'movement of said pawl.

of a safety'air brake appliance comprising a valve casing communicating with said pipe and having a discharge opening there- 1n, a valve seat surrounding said opening, a valve mounted in said caslng for closing said opening and having a tubular stem extending into the casing, a stud mounted in J said casing and inserted 1n said stem, a,

spring encircling said stem and exerting its tension to force said valve into normally In testimony whereof We have hereunto closed position, an L-shaped lever fulcrumed set our hands in presence of subscribing Witadjacent said casing with a member engagnesses. ing said valve, a flexible element detachably WESLEY PAMPLIN HUNTLEY.

5 connected with the free end of said lever ROBERT M. BERKELEY.

and adapted to be connected With a truck, Witnesses:

means for locking said lever in valve open- M. K. WORM,

ing position, and means for limiting the B. F. NOLTE,

locking movement of said lever locking GEORGE W. PRICE, 10 means. F. W. FERGUSON.

Goples of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatenta.

Washington, D. O. 

